Born to a poor couple who were tenant farmers on a plantation in Mississippi, Anne Moody lived through some of the most dangerous days of the pre-civil rights era in the South. The week before she began high school came the news of Emmet Till's lynching. Before then, she had "known the fear of hunger, hell, and the Devil. But now there was…the fear of being killed just because I was black." In that moment was born the passion for freedom and justice that would change her life.An all-A student whose dream of going to college is realized when she wins a basketball scholarship, she finally dares to join the NAACP in her junior year. Through the NAACP and later through CORE and SNCC she has first-hand experience of the demonstrations and sit-ins that were the mainstay of the civil rights movement, and the arrests and jailings, the shotguns, fire hoses, police dogs, billy clubs and deadly force that were used to destroy it.A deeply personal story but also a portrait of a turning point in our nation's destiny, this autobiography lets us see history in the making, through the eyes of one of the footsoldiers in the civil rights movement. Download and start listening now!

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Quotes & Awards

Simply one of the best, Anne Moody's autobiography is an eloquent, moving testimonial to . . . Courage.Chicago Tribune

Listener Reviews

" This book, detailing the childhood and young adult years of a black grassroots civil rights worker and exceptional student in Mississippi, is a fast and gripping read, even 45 years after it was first written. Anne Moody writes in a matter-of-fact voice about the almost unimaginable poverty and lack of consistent familial support in which she grew up, of her growing involvement with the civil rights movement in the early 1960s, and of the emotional toll it took on her. Her relentless depiction of the movement through her own often-discouraged eyes is part of why this book continues to speak to readers after so many years: its authenticity shines through. Though published in 1968, the book ends with the beginning of Freedom Summer (summer of 1964) when thousands of mostly white college students came to Mississippi to supplement the work earlier civil rights workers had been doing there, infusing--for a while--new enthusiasm and energy into the heartbreakingly difficult, risky, and often terrifying effort to bring nonviolent change and basic rights and liberties to African Americans in Mississippi. I most enjoyed reading passages where her life intersected with those of other famous civil rights workers, like Bob Moses, Ed King, and Dave Dennis; I enjoyed having a chance to see them through her eyes. Its major contribution is to show a black, grassroots civil rights worker's living conditions and struggle in the apparently almost forgotten period before the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 guaranteed basic rights to all citizens, and before there was any kind of safety net for poor people. "

Stacey | 2/6/2014

" I found this autobiography very thought provoking. I like that it was somewhat unemotional, just putting her facts out there. When you are going through something traumatic you often put the emotional aside and get down to the business of life. Your sacrifice and struggle become instinct. This book explored how we each make decisions to help or not help someone else. I only hope that if I had been alive during the civil rights movement I would have been one of those that stood up (or sat down)for equal rights and that I live my life today with that same expectation. "

Melanie | 1/30/2014

" If you think you were "inspired" by "The Help," you should read this amazing autobiography instead. This is real southern life in the 1940s-60s. "

Tamieka | 1/18/2014

" Her story was inspiring! It made me think of all the things I take for granted. She was determined to suceed no matter the consequence...It became a bit boring but it was still good information... "

James | 1/10/2014

" I thought this book was terrible. I will give her credit for the help she put into the Civil Rights Movement. But really she had a pretty good life. She was raised poor but always saved her money and was independant. Sad she couldnt go home, but really she didnt want to, she didnt see eye to eye with her family. I think her last name is quite fitting, she is moody. I really didnt like how the end just dropped off but maybe there is a part II i dont know about. I will not recommend this book to others. "

Tina | 1/10/2014

" I really enjoyed the first half of the book, but honestly, the second half got too... political and I lost interest quickly. "

Sara | 1/4/2014

" Everybody needs to read this book. It is so amazing and breaks your heart at the same time. "

Holly | 1/3/2014

" I read this book in my Women in American History class in college and it quickly became one of my favorites. "

Anita | 12/27/2013

" Great book! Adds some perspective to ones life. "

Monte | 12/13/2013

" This is an autobiography of a girl growing up in southwest Mississippi in the 1950's-60's. It does chronicle what life must have been like. She became heavily involved in the integration movement and this is probably the most insightful part of the book as it gives a fair amount of detail. "

Needleroozer | 11/30/2013

" The horrors of being poor and black in the segregated US South hit me pretty hard when I read this book. Sometimes I know things are bad, but I don't imagine how bad until I read/hear the words of someone who actually lived through it all. "

Flannery | 11/29/2013

" I was assigned to read this in one of my American history classes during college. I stayed up to read it because I loved it so much. "

Keith | 11/26/2013

" Really good memoir of a young black girl who lived through the civil rights struggle in Mississippi in the '60s. "

Gerald | 9/13/2013

" This was one of the few books that I read almost all the way through without putting it down. "

Jennifer | 8/4/2013

" MAGNIFICENT memoir of a poor, young, black woman growing up in Mississippi. Helps open the reader's eyes as to what all was really going on in the south even after Brown v. Board of Education. A must read for anyone interested in civil rights studies. "

Amber | 7/29/2013

" This wasn't a book I would have pick on my own. I had a new perspective for african american culture after reading this booked. "

Alyssa | 7/21/2013

" One of the best books I've ever read...Though the protagonist went through the trials of slavery she in the end trusted God. So many tests of her life turned into a testimony. "

manatee | 6/6/2013

" I learned that great suffering can lead to a moving and captivating,unforgettable,searing memoir. "

Lana | 5/17/2013

" Gripping, raw, powerful. Should be mandatory reading for those who champion the book The Help as laudable. "

Johanna | 3/14/2013

" I'm sure this book adds different perspective to its plot line, but I feel like I've read it before and can't have this empathy beat into me again. I may choose to pick it up again at a later time. "

Marissa | 2/2/2013

" Excellent!! Well written and fast read. "

Gypsyinpearls | 1/10/2013

" I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would initially. The book was assigned reading for one of my college courses, and I would not have read it otherwise. This young woman story should be inspiring to everyone and her passion contagious! "

Laurie | 12/30/2012

" An interesting look at the life of a colored girl growing up in Mississippi in the early 1950's. "

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